On December 8, 2009, hundreds of music enthusiasts gathered at the Roxy Theater in Hollywood for the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands competition. The annual event allows up to 40 bands to compete against one another for a chance to take home a $15,000 Guitar Center shopping spree, a yearlong supply of Rockstar Energy, an Ernie Ball endorsement and lots of Hurley swag.

The first band to grace the stage was Arizona’s own Eyes Set to Kill, who earned the crowd’s respect by showcasing dynamic vocal ranges. The crowd was highly pleased and there wasn’t a single body that didn’t jump with joy during their set. Soon after their set wrapped up, it was finally time for the battle of the bands to begin!

The Syncope Threshold, pronounced (Sin-Co-Pee), took the stage and dished out their four song set, which consisted of loud screamo vocals, blistering bass and fast guitar riffs. The crowd was clearly hyped up with pure energy as the band earned a chance at winning the prize of the night.

Following The Syncope Threshold was Dinner And a Suit, a band hailing from New Jersey. The band’s Led Zeppelin-esque performance drew in a bunch of screaming girls as front man Jon Capeci, smothered the crowd with impressive guitar tactics.

As the night was coming to a close, alternative go getters Conditions, and psychobilly punk band The Darlings took the stage. Both acts were at their peak giving it their all during their amazing quick and easy set ups. The Darlings of course blew the competition completely out of the water by interacting with the crowd more than former acts. As a result, the band took home the prize and was crowned as the winners. But the night was not quite over.

Story of the Year came out with an energetic force field that kept the Roxy pumping throughout the band’s entire one hour set. Front man Dan Marsala asked the anxious crowd, “It’s been what, over six years since we’ve played the Roxy? Who would win the process? Only time would tell.” Opening their set with, “And The Hero Will Drown,” the band went straight into modern classics, “Anthem Of Our Dying Day”, “In the Shadows”, “Our Time Is Now”, “Take Me Back”, and their popular hit, “Until the Day I Die”.

Story of the Year’s set list:
1. Antelope
2. And the Hero Will Drown
3. Falling Down
4. Our Time Is Now
5. Anthem of Our Dying Day
6. Take Me Back
7. Wake Up
8. To The Burial
9. In The Shadows
10. Choose Your Fate
(Sagan Break)
11. Welcome to Our New War
12. Until the Day I Die

Overall, the show was a success and The Darlings were able to fight their way to the top earning themselves a huge win. Lucky attendees were able to watch one of the most entertaining shows to hit the Sunset Strip.

Natalie Perez has been a Music/Entertainment Journalist for 7 years now having first started out with her middle and high school newspapers. She now writes for a handful of various online and print publications.

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